


got you

by thisissirius



Series: love in shorts (tumblr) [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25955734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisissirius/pseuds/thisissirius
Summary: The message is from Chim.Heads up. Rough call. Buck’s not talking.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: love in shorts (tumblr) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883830
Comments: 13
Kudos: 402
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	got you

Eddie’s spent his day off mostly on the couch. It’s a Saturday, so he and Chris have been watching movies. Every suggestion Eddie makes, Chris decides no, he wants Buck for that, no, they have to wait for Buck. Eddie’s not sad; he missed Buck as well. Buck paints himself into every corner of their home, wraps them up in his warmth and enthusiasm until Eddie’s not sure how they lived without him there. 

“Will you tell Buck to come kiss me goodnight?”

Eddie sighs dramatically. “As if I would ever forget, Chris.”

Chris laughs, gives Eddie a hug. “Love you, Dad.”

“Love you too.” Eddie presses a kiss to Christopher’s head, leaving the door ajar on his way out of the room. 

Tidying up what little mess they’ve made, Eddie watches the clock. He’s not too concerned that Buck’s twenty minutes late. They have calls that run over, bad calls, times one of them needs a little longer to decompress. 

It’s not until Eddie’s phone pings on the counter that he finds out which it is. 

The message is from Chim. _Heads up. Rough call. Buck’s not talking._

Not talking isn’t always a bad sign, but with a rough call? Eddie’s not counting on getting a full night’s sleep. Not that he minds; giving Buck comfort and love is never hard. 

Waiting for Buck to come is a pain in the ass; Eddie feels on edge, watching the clock and sitting on the edge of the couch. Now that he knows Buck’s in pain, emotional or physical, he can’t sit still. When he hears the key in the lock, he lets out a slow breath and rubs the palms of his hands on his knees. 

Buck comes through the door, duffel on his shoulder. Eddie watches him carefully; Buck’s not moving gingerly, and his hair is slightly damp. Stayed to shower, then. He’s got a bandage on his hand, no blood, which means Hen or Chim patched him up. Shadows under his eyes, expression closed-off. 

Emotional hurt, then. 

“Hey,” Eddie says quietly.

Looking over his shoulder, some of the light comes back into Buck’s expression. “Hey. You didn’t have to wait up.”

“You kidding?” Eddie says. “Chris gave me an important message.”

Buck laughs gently, and there’s the smile he loves so much. “Gotta kiss my Superman goodnight.”

Eddie clutches at his chest. “I’ve been replaced!”

It’s the wrong thing to say; Buck’s face falls and he looks stricken. “I’m not, am I? I can-”

“Buck,” Eddie says gently, pushing himself to his feet. “I was joking. I love that Chris loves you so much.”

Buck’s face does something complicated. The duffel falls to the floor and he sags where he stands. Three steps and Eddie’s wrapping his arms around Buck’s shoulders, kissing his temple. “It was horrible.”

“You can tell me or not,” Eddie says, hand rubbing Buck’s back. “Your choice. But let’s go to bed, okay?”

There’s a beat and then Buck’s nodding. “I’ll check in on Chris first.”

Eddie leaves him to it, knows Buck doesn’t like hovering even if it’s ingrained in him to want to, to protect Buck as much as possible. He goes through the motions of brushing his teeth, changing, and sitting on the edge of the bed. Buck’s in the bathroom, the door firmly closed, and Eddie feels that same sense of sadness. Buck rarely hides from him. 

“Eddie?”

“Yeah?” Eddie says, standing on the other side of the door. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Buck?” Eddie knocks gently on the door. “Open the door.”

Buck does. He’s changed, clean, but won’t look Eddie in the eye. Eddie takes his hand, rubs his thumb over Buck’s. They don’t speak as they climb into bed, light off, almost a foot between them. 

“Come here,” Eddie says. He waits on Buck, doesn’t want to pressure if Buck needs something else. The ease and speed with which Buck splays himself against Eddie’s side does the talking for him. He buries his face in the crook of Eddie’s neck, no mean feat for a six foot seventy five human being, and Eddie curls around him, whispers, “I’ve got you,” against the top of his head. 

Buck lets out a shaky breath. “I hate it.”

“I know.” Eddie runs a hand through Buck’s hair, closes his eyes. “Sometimes we can’t help everyone. Sometimes they take parts of us with them. The fact that you care, Buck, is what makes you _you_.”

“I wish I didn’t,” Buck whispers.

Eddie takes a moment. He knows Buck means it, just a little, or he wouldn’t say it, but it breaks his heart. “Maybe,” he allows. “But I love it about you, Buck. I love that you care so much. If you didn’t, if this didn’t affect you, I’d hope you’d stop doing the job.”

Buck shifts, moves until he can look Eddie in the eye, arm still gripping Eddie’s waist. “I’m glad I get to have this, come home to you.”

Running a finger down Buck’s nose, cupping his cheek, Eddie smiles gently, leans in to kiss Buck, lips gentle and soft. “I’m glad you want to. I love you, Evan. If I could take your hurt away-”

“I know,” Buck says. He closes his eyes, settles his head back on Eddie’s shoulder. “I love you too.”

There will be other nights, sometimes Eddie, sometimes Buck, but Eddie hopes he can always be this for Buck; a point of safety, someone he loves, a home. 

**Author's Note:**

> come chill with me on [tumblr](https://thisissirius.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
